by Cynthia Chow

This week we have a review of Death 101: Extra Credit by Kelly Brakenhoff, along with an interesting interview with Kelly. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Death 101: Extra Credit by Kelly Brakenhoff
Review by Cynthia Chow

In the short time that Cassandra Sato has been working at Morton College in Omaha, Nebraska, the vice president of Student Affairs has already earned herself the nickname Queen of Doom. Cassandra left her home on Oahu when her career stalled there, as her dreams of one day being a college president were much more attainable on the mainland. It’s been a bit of a rough going what with the deaths and rotation of Morton College presidents, and they are currently doing interviews for yet another (hopefully) permanent president. Cassandra is pushing for the hire of the impressive Fran Morrison over a financially backed inept applicant, right up until she notices something a bit disconcerting. Cassandra’s boyfriend Marcus Fischer seems to have a close connection with Fran, one based in either in their common military background or something more personal. At least Cassandra’s parents are in town for a visit, alleviating her homesickness for Hawaii with their local cooking and aloha spirit. It’s too bad that Cassandra once again lives up to her new reputation when she witnesses a fencing stunt gone wrong during a play rehearsal. Her grant writing partner Dr. Shannon Bryant, a professor of Deaf Studies, was the stunt coordinator for the production and the interim president is quick to suspend him and even possibly cut his entire department.

Budget cuts loom large over the entire college, and Cassandra finds herself once again fighting for her students and her fellow professors. That means that not only will she be investigating how a supposedly fake sword led to tragic results, she will also be defending against the elimination of electives and absorption of courses into other fields.

The director of the play, a showy archaeology professor who imagines himself to be another Indiana Jones, is indirectly responsible for Cassandra’s “Queen of Doom” moniker due to his class Death 101. Since it’s a course studying the lore and practices surrounding the culture of death, he may actually have some wisdom when it comes to Cassandra’s own inability to fully move past the death of her late fiancé.

This fourth in the series delights in taking readers through the politics and bureaucracy of academia. Fans of the academic mysteries by Amanda Cross and Gillian Roberts will find much to enjoy in this series, as it explores department rivalries, battles over budgets, and shady hiring acts. The monetization of education and constant struggle to bring in money often take priority over the professors’ desire to teach, and the students often find themselves caught in the middle.

The all-too-brief introduction of Cassandra’s family from Oahu brings in much lightness and humor, while the depiction of academic life is fascinating. This is a very entertaining academic mystery that takes full advantage of the unique personalities populating a college. Readers should look forward to exploring more of Morton College and the mysteries that still await Cassandra and her friends.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Interview with Kelly Brakenhoff:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

KB: Well, it’s funny because I’ve been writing all my life. I mean, my sister and I made these homemade comic books when we were in elementary school — Garfield meets Snoopy kind of thing. It was bad… really bad. And then I kept journals full of scribbled stories and deep thoughts right up until my twenties. When we moved recently, I had to decide between trashing twenty years’ worth of angst or leaving it for my kids to do after I’m gone. Let’s just say, there’s significantly less angst lying around the house now.

KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?

KB: Death by Dissertation was published in 2019 and picks up about three months after Cassandra Sato leaves her home and family in Hawaii to take a new job as a college administrator for a small private college in rural Nebraska. When a student dies, she discovers what the “other duties as assigned” part of her job description is all about.

KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?

Kelly Brakenhoff

KRL: How lovely! What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

KB: Death 101: Extra Credit, book four in the series, takes place at Morton College in rural Nebraska and is inspired by two real-life experiences. First off, I had a chance to take fencing lessons from a champion fencer who had also acted in a local Three Musketeers production. To no one’s surprise, fencing is way harder than it looks! So of course, I had to include fencing in my book – but only after getting my own foil-stabbing experience firsthand. Another inspirational experience was interpreting a college course called ‘Death and Dying.’ It was quite interesting; undergraduates learned everything there is to know about death and dying, visited mortuaries, even planned out their own funerals! It was an enlightening experience rather than morbid, and it definitely gave me plenty of interesting ideas for my book.

KRL: How fun! I would love to learn to fence. Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

KB: My cozy mysteries are full of fun and excitement, but there’s also a mystery that needs to be solved. With my stories taking place on a college campus, I’m sure you’ll learn something along the way – whether you want to or not! So, reading my books is like party-crime-learning time.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?

KB: I write around my day job as an ASL Interpreter. Then I engage in all the other author-ly activities with the rest of my time. I try my best to unplug in the evenings and on weekends — but even when I’m not actively writing, my overactive brain is still plotting murder.

KRL: What is your ideal time to write?

KB: My life is a mad dash – I’m like the Energizer Bunny – but with more words and less batteries! But in all seriousness, age has granted me the wisdom to just make do with what I’ve got. As for writing, I tend to squeeze in about 10 hours a week for writing new words. But the best part of my writing routine is meeting up with my cozy writers sprint group every morning I’m available. They always make me more productive and also crack me up because it’s full of amazing people!

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

KB: Well. That’s a loaded question. I like to think of myself as a Plantser. (A cross between a plotter and pantser.) Basically, I outline the first 10 or 15 chapters so that I have some semblance of structure to work with … and then it’s all downhill from there! My ideas usually veer off course in the 5th chapter and I spend the next few chapters moving things around in Scrivener trying to figure out how it will all fit together. So, me being an avid reviser is really what saves me from myself…or at least helps pull it all together in the end.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

KB: I tried for a couple of years to traditionally publish my first mystery, but life’s too short to wait around for someone else to decide you’re worth it. And thankfully, I realized that being the CEO of my own publishing company is way more fun than waiting around for other people. No matter what path you choose – trad, indie, Amazon only, wide, etc. – it’s all hard. Everyone has to choose your hard.

KRL: Most interesting book signing story-in a bookstore or other venue?

KB: My debut launch party was at my friend’s winery. Lots of family and friends showed up to drink wine and celebrate checking an item off my bucket list. It was a great party and I have no regrets.

KRL: What are your future writing goals?

KB: I’m planning another 3-5 books in the Cassandra Sato series and another 4-5 more Duke the Deaf Dog books. After that, I’ll start another mystery series featuring one of the side characters in the Cassandra Sato books.

KRL: Who are your writing heroes?

KB: Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Agatha Christie, John Grisham, Robert Parker, Tonya Kappes, Stella Bixby, Eryn Scott.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

KB: Unfortunately, a lot of it is online with professor Google, so I have an agreement with my writer friends to erase my search history if I ever die unexpectedly. Whenever possible I like to take a class or lessons on different topics or activities so I know how the characters are feeling. One of my future plots is set in Paris. Traveling to Europe would all count as research, right?

KRL: What do you like to read?

KB: I read a lot of cozy mysteries for research and picture books with my grandkids. My book club has been meeting for 23 years and we read in every imaginable genre. I love them because I’d never choose some of the books myself although they turned out to be some of my favorites.

KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?

KB: There are so many! Ted Lasso, Only Murders in the Building, Outlander, The Last Kingdom, Jack Ryan, Suits, Will Trent. Again, it’s all research, right?

KRL: Of course! LOL Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

KB: It’s okay to write because you love it as a hobby. Being a professional author is hard work juggling about 5 part-time jobs like writing, editing, marketing, advertising, and accounting. If you aren’t up for the professional side of things, it’s okay to just write stories you love and share them with readers, whether that’s on a blog or paid subscription platform.

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

KB: I enjoy running the kind of 10K fun runs where you get a cool t-shirt as swag and drink a beer at the end.

KRL: Do you have any pets?

KB: We have a German Wirehair Pointer named Duke (who is not deaf) who loves hunting birds with my husband and napping in my office.

KRL: Is there anything you would like to add?

KB: Thanks for asking such interesting questions. It was really fun chatting with you, and I appreciate the folks who read all the way to the end!

KRL: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Website? Twitter? Facebook? Instagram?

KB: Website: kellybrakenhoff.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/kellybrakenhoffauthor
Twitter: twitter.com/inBrakenVille
Instagram: instagram.com/kelly_inbrakenville
YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@kellybrakenhoff
TikTok: tiktok.com/@kellybrakauthor

To enter to win a copy of Death 101, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “101” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 7, 2023. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode went up this week.

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Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.